HONG KONG: In a historic moment for the Malaysian restaurant industry, Penang restaurant Au Jardin, helmed by talented chef Su Kim Hock came in at No 39 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list. Au Jardin is the only Malaysian restaurant to have ranked in this year's list.
The list was announced at an awards ceremony held tonight at the Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong.
Au Jardin is now officially recognised as the best restaurant in Malaysia and climbed a whopping 61 spots from its placement at No 100 on last year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 51-100 extended list. The restaurant is also the first Malaysian restaurant to enter the top 40, surpassing the achievement of Dewakan, which made it to No 46 in 2019.
“I honestly think this should be a celebration for the whole industry in Malaysia. I think we have a very, very close relationship with our peers and there is always a passing of the baton. We wouldn’t have achieved this without Dewakan (the first modern Malaysian restaurant in Malaysia). Likewise there are a lot more restaurants that are small pieces of the jigsaw that made today’s achievement possible.
“And I think at the end of the day, the whole idea of us being in the list was through a lot of support not only from efforts on our side but also support from our peers like Darren Teoh (of KL’s two Michelin-starred Dewakan) as well as local media in Malaysia.
“As much as it sounds cliché – I think this belongs to everyone. At this point of time, we are glad that we are back in the list but we believe that hopefully we are trailblazing for more restaurants in Malaysia and we want to tell our fellow peers that this is achievable,” says the affable, personable Su.
Su also says that he hopes Au Jardin’s achievement will help the whole dining scene in Malaysia and make the country and his home state of Penang more attractive to gourmet travellers.
The talented, irrepressibly cheerful Su opened Au Jardin in 2018 in Penang’s Hin Bus Depot. His inventive modern Malaysian menu is carefully calibrated to incorporate 85% Malaysian produce sourced through a network of handpicked farmers and fishermen, with each of his courses taking diners on a wondrous journey through Malaysian terrain.
In 2022, Su and Au Jardin catapulted to national attention when the restaurant earned a Michelin star, which it has retained for four years running.
Signature dishes at Au Jardin include Su’s spectacular Penang-sourced hay aged duck and lacto-fermented bread with tomato chutney, which pays tribute to thosai, an Indian fermented crepe.
To date, Au Jardin is only the second Malaysian restaurant to have made it on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
The first Malaysian restaurant to make it on the list was Dewakan, helmed by modern Malaysian cuisine pioneer Darren Teoh, which came in at No 46 back in 2019 and made a comeback in 2022 when it ranked No 50.
In this year’s list, Dewakan ranks No 62 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 51-100 extended list, climbing 22 spots from last year’s list, where it was ranked No 84.
The second Malaysian restaurant to feature on the 2026 extended list is Penang’s Gen, which came in at No 89. Gen is the brainchild of talented chef Johnson Wong who opened the restaurant in homage to his love of Penang.
His “ingredient-forward” menus are built around the vast repository of produce available in Penang and the rest of Malaysia, with meals developed around core local ingredients.
It is probably also no small coincidence that all three homegrown restaurants featured on the list are devoted to Malaysian cuisine, influences and ingredients.
Modern Malaysian cooking has been gaining traction both nationally and internationally in the past few years and the momentum cast by Au Jardin, Dewakan and Gen’s successes on the Asian dining stage look set to further cement the cuisine as a force to be reckoned with in the region.
The Asia’s 50 Best awards ceremony also unveiled the top restaurants in Asia. Coming in at No 1 is Hong Kong's famed The Chairman, helmed by celebrated chef Danny Yip. In the No 2 spot is another Hong Kong restaurant Wing, run by famed chef Vicky Cheng while No 3 is Gaggan Anand's eponymous Gaggan, which was ranked No 1 last year. Rounding out the top 5 is Seoul's Mingles, which came in at No 4 and Bangkok's Nusara, which is ranked No 5.
Speaking about his win at the awards, The Chairman's Yip said, "It means everything to win this award in Hong Kong. The average age of the team at The Chairman is 52. Many joined me 17 years ago and are still here, so this award belongs to my vintage team and everyone working in Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong."
The top restaurants in neighbouring Singapore this year are Odette (No 19), Seroja (No 20), Born (No 23), Les Amis (No 38), Labyrinth (No 40) and Nae: Um (No 45). Seroja's win is particularly heartening as the restaurant is run by talented Malaysian-born chef Kevin Wong who pays homage to the flavours of the Nusantara region at his restaurant.
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants was introduced in 2013 to highlight the continent’s diverse gastronomic scene. Votes for restaurants are garnered from the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of over 350 industry stalwarts, including food writers, chefs and culinary professionals across the region.
